Celtic right back Moritz Bauer aiming to "cause chaos" in Scotland this season - with his long throw-in

Celtic right back Moritz Bauer aiming to "cause chaos" this season - with long throw-in

MORITZ Bauer has predicted his long throw-in can cause chaos among opposition defences this season and become a potent weapon for Celtic as they attempt to win their ninth consecutive Scottish title and progress in Europe.

Bauer, the Austrian right back who has joined the Parkhead club on loan from Stoke City for the season, gave an indication of the damage he can do from the touchline during his debut against Rangers at the start of the month.

The defender launched the ball from deep within his own side’s half far upfield into the home team’s territory after coming on for Nir Bitton – and footage of his impressive shy instantly became a social media sensation.

His remarkable throw didn’t create a scoring chance for Neil Lennon’s side, who beat Steven Gerrard’s team comfortably, but he has spoken to his new manager about one of the unusual strengths in his game during the international break and believes it could prove useful in the coming weeks and months.

“Maybe it was the strong Scottish wind that made it fly so far!” said Bauer at Lennoxtown as Celtic announced they had appointed Simple Group Holdings as their official mobile provider. “Seriously, though, it’s a good asset to have. If you are 1-0 down at the end of a game then you can get the defenders into the box and create some chaos.

“We started against Rangers by kicking the ball deep into their half, but we won’t do that all the time and will try to keep the ball on the floor. However, on certain occasions you can use that tactic to surprise the opposition.

“I didn’t speak to the manager about it when I arrived because we had two massive games against AIK Stockholm and Rangers. We had more important things to do than watch videos of my throw-ins. Football is played with the feet so I was judged on my skills with the ball on the floor.

“But during the international break we had time to sit down and catch up and spoke about the fact I can add the long throw-in to the table.

“At some of my former clubs the defenders came up and here at Celtic we have Nir Bitton, Kris Ajer and Christopher Jullien so we have some really good height and we can bring them up and even if they don’t put it straight in they can get a flick.”

Bauer revealed he has worked on his throw-in technique since he was a youngster starting out in the game and had spoken to Rory Delap – the former Republic of Ireland midfielder who was renowned for having one of the longest throw-ins in world football during his playing career – about the skill during his time at Stoke.

“When I was converted to a right back as a youngster at FC Winterthur my under-18 coach told me that the throw-in can be a weapon,” he said. “The coaches said that as important as dribbling and crossing was to wingers, the throw-in was vital to the full backs because almost every ball that goes out is for the full-back.

“We had competitions for fun at my old clubs to see who could throw it the longest distance, but I can’t remember what my record was.

“At Stoke City we had the world famous Rory Delap and I spoke to him about it. Even he said it’s a difficult skill to teach and it’s more about the technique and timing.

“It’s a bit like golf where it’s more about the technique than the power and we added it to my game because as a right back you have many throw-ins because you’re often on the line. When you are under pressure you can throw the ball in the other half.”

Bauer, who is hoping to get the nod to play against Hamilton away in the Ladbrokes Premiership at Saturday lunchtime, admitted he had been pleased with how his first appearance for Celtic had gone and had settled in well at the treble treble winners.

“It couldn’t have been any better,” he said. “ The atmosphere, the team’s performance and, obviously, the result. As footballers say, there are no easy games, but that was something special. I’ve had many people coming up to me and congratulating me on the derby victory and telling me how much the win means to the fans.

“Hamilton will be a different test of mentality, but we really showed we have great character in the game at Ibrox. Everyone comes with a smile to work and I’m lucky to be a part of that. I think we’ve grown in confidence from the Ibrox win.”

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